Facilities and Landscape

Facilities and Landscape

Normal operations will resume in Hammond Building on Thursday, July 30, after an accidental, late-night office fire closed the building for the day on July 29. The building was closed to allow time for restoration crews to properly clean and ventilate the space. Employees who work in the building should report to work on Thursday as normal. In order to reduce foot traffic as contractors repair damaged areas, all classes scheduled to take place in Hammond Building will be temporarily relocated through Aug. 5.

In a University Town Hall meeting on July 28 geared to Office of Physical Plant (OPP) employees, Provost Nick Jones and Senior Vice President David Gray addressed a wide range of topics including health care, child care, employee recruitment and job sourcing, challenges facing OPP employees and where OPP fits in the big picture as the University moves forward.

A late-night, accidental fire in Hammond Building that began in a first-floor graduate student room was extinguished within minutes, but officials have closed the building for all activities on July 29 as a precaution while the building is cleaned and vented. Damage was contained to one room, however, a heavy smoke smell lingering in the building played a large role in the decision.

Old Main lawn is one of the most important outdoor green spaces on the University Park campus. It is part of the original 200 acres of the University and today is a common space for study groups, concerts, political rallies, picnics, recreation and more.

Penn State's LEED Gold certified Stuckeman Family Building –- home to the Stuckeman School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture –- has been named one of the top 15 copper-clad buildings in the world by 'Architectural Digest' magazine.

Penn State's University Access Committee has commissioned a video highlighting Penn State's commitment to people with disabilities, in celebration of the 25th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

Design work on the renovation and expansion of East Halls, the largest residential complex on the University Park campus, has begun with groundbreaking for the first phase of the project slated for January 2016.

“I remember when I met you … even then you were trying to figure out what you and Penn State could do to help MBE/WBE contractors who … had been denied contracting opportunities or who had not been paid for their work by prime contractors in state contracting. The contrast between that day and last evening was huge … with everyone happy and with hope they had all but lost before.”

While it’s common knowledge for many people that Penn State is a global leader in science, technology and engineering, some don’t realize is that Penn State also is home to the longest-running university nuclear reactor in America. “Penn State Power: 60 Years of the Radiation Science and Engineering Center” — on display July 8-Aug. 19 in Sidewater Commons in Pattee and Paterno Libraries — honors the center’s longstanding reputation for nuclear energy education, research and service.

The new Health and Human Development Building at University Park is now complete and open. The new facility has 140,000 square feet of space, including approximately 40,000 square feet of space that was retained from Henderson Building South and renovated.

"We Are...Penn State!" This chant, for many, encapsulates what it means to be a "Penn Stater" and part of an interconnected community that is recognizable around the world. Now that iconic phrase has taken on a tangible representation: The "We Are" sculpture, a gift of Penn State's Class of 2013, was installed June 30 on the University Park campus.

From 4 to 5 p.m. Thursday (June 25), Penn State will again test University Park’s capability to reduce its electricity load when called upon during national or regional power emergencies. University Park occupants are requested to turn off all unnecessary electrical consumption under individual control.